Youth Education Outreach Programs

Jerry Magraw, senior technician, instructs students how to use the confocal microscope.

Image: Penn State Behrend

Penn State Behrend offers more than two dozen K-12 youth outreach programs each year, which include:

Children's Water Festival

College for Kids

Engineering K-12 Outreach Center

FIRST LEGO League

High School Academy (HSA)

Math Options

MCE/WISE

STEM Fair

21st Century Kids

Women in Engineering

Other programs offered include:

GE Girls @ Penn State Behrend: GE Girls is a week-long STEM camp for sixth and seventh grade girls in Erie's Public Schools. Young women are paired with female mentors from GE Transportation and exposed to topics such as robotics, electronic circuits, chemistry, structures, energy, and more!

Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS): PJAS is a statewide organization of junior and senior high school students designed to stimulate and promote interest in science through the development of research projects and investigations. The regional competition is held at Penn State Behrend.

Physics Day: A day of fun and Physics for high school students presented by Penn State Behrend's School of Science.

Regional Common In-Service Day: Regional Common In-Service Days are held at Penn State Behrend on a variety of topics and designed for educators to earn Act 48 credits.

Science Olympiad: Science Olympiad is one of the premier science competitions in the nation involving over 7,000 teams in all 50 states where teams of middle school and high school students engage in exciting and rigorous science competitions which are aligned with both PA science standards and national education standards.

Boy Scouts Go to College: Boy Scouts attend workshops at Penn State Behrend, where they earn merit badges in various areas.

Explorers: The Explorers program provides career exploration opportunities at Penn State Behrend for young people ages 14 and up. For more information contact Jared Magoon, Boy Scouts of America.

Girl Scout Saturdays: Girl Scout Saturday, hosted by the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers each spring, introduces girls to different engineering career fields. Contact YouthOutreach@psu.edu for more information.

Women in Business: Women in Business Day at Penn State Behrend's Black School of Business is designed for eleventh- and twelfth-grade girls. This program will introduce participants to many facets of business, and encourage them to explore their interests in business related careers.